


How does it feel to know that I love you baby?

by GingerHoran



Series: Domestic Zayn and Niall [2]
Category: One Direction
Genre: Christmas, Domestic, F/F, It's genderswap, Little mention of Louis, Sorry Not Sorry, bundles of fluff, cis!girl Niall, cis!girl Zayn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-10
Updated: 2013-12-10
Packaged: 2018-01-04 07:19:43
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,592
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1078149
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GingerHoran/pseuds/GingerHoran
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Niall's not at home this Christmas. Zayn wants to make her feel better, it ends up being the other way round.</p>
            </blockquote>





	How does it feel to know that I love you baby?

**Author's Note:**

> Another part of my domestic series. It's another genderswap. I'm not sorry.  
> Title taken from Lost Without You by Robin Thicke.

The smell hits Niall as soon as she enters the dingy flat it's woody like fresh pine and it flows nicely along with the incense on the kitchen counter top that Zayn always lights with the tip of her fag.

Zayn's in the living room her hair braided messily down her back, a pair of white headphones that the boys pitched in for bursting with music, an old Toni Braxton tune from what Niall can hear, her hips shimmying in little circles with tinsel draped like a scarf around her shoulder and ribbons between her teeth.

She's decorating the large Christmas tree that stands like an elephant in the small cranny they call a living room, Niall gawks slightly because Zayn doesn't really celebrate Christmas but she's making an effort for Niall, she's doing it for her girlfriend.

She stands at the side just watching for a moment taking in the sparkly gold tinsel draped around the evergreen tree, the candy canes in wrappers every few branches as if she bought hundreds knowing that Niall would want one every morning before her breakfast like the usual routine cigarette. Zayn stops for a minute sliding the headphones onto her neck and just looking at the masterpiece, in all its mismatched baubles and cheap plastic figurines; it's like Niall's front room in Ireland on Christmas morning.

"It's beautiful right?" Zayn says a smile in her voice as she turns to look over at Niall, and Niall just nods heart aloof with the love she feels and can't display.

=

"Niall, bear, you're going to get coffee aren't you?" Zayn mumbles the morning after as she curves her back into the bed listening to her bones crack whilst watching Niall slide on a sweater by the window looking over at the snow covered quad in front of their campus.

Rolling her eyes she mutters a positive, of course she's getting coffee, she'd promised Harry that she would help him pick out a gift for Gemma because he's hopelessly lousy at that sort of stuff; she'll find herself stopping at the coffee house on the way back home anyways.

=

"So?" Harry elongates with a raised eyebrow as he dumps another load of cheap clothing into the basket only momentarily checking the material and price. Niall's mostly ignoring him sipping from her can of Pepsi and flicking through racks of crop tops trying to find a suitable one for both her and Zayn, they've been reduced to shared clothing at the moment, they don't really care though.

"I don't know what you're talking about," she sighs pulling out a knee length electric blue sweater and tossing it into the basket hanging from the crook of her elbow.

Harry jabs her lightly in the ribs as he barges past her with a devilish smirk, she gasps lightly scratching the area with her nails before giving Harry a well deserved tug of his hair.

"What're ya' buying Zayn for Christmas?" He asks with a click of his tongue pulling out another bright pink shirt and ignoring the weird stares from passerbys as he brings it to his face and sniffs it gingerly, ever the hesitant boy.

Niall blushes softly as she shrugs. It always happens when she's either embarrassed or shy, it's a physical reflex that she can't control all the blood flowing to her cheeks in times of internal stress. She blames the Irish in her completely.

She shrugs again, ignoring the way Harry is smirking in her direction, she licks her lips lazily picking up another thick knit sweater that's been in the corner of her eye for a while now; Harry hums out a little tune bending down to pick up a pair of boxers falling from his basket it only seems suitable for Niall to swat his ass before running from his grabbing hands with a girlish screams.

=

They get kicked out of the store for unsuitable public behaviour, plus Harry also knocked over a child by the sweet counter as he tried to grab a packet of his favourite gummy bears. Niall couldn't help but laugh brashly as the little girl sobbed over dramatic crocodile tears attracting the attention of her young glaring mother at the checkout, the security wasn't very pleased with the inundated complaints from customers.

Zayn isn't particularly impressed that she has to wait over two hours to receive a pretty mediocre cup of coffee, she blames the coffee shop for its new blending technique; and it's new barista Louis because he's a cute motherfucker but is always getting distracted by pretty faces.

They both end up giggling in the late afternoon though, Zayn still in her pyjamas snuggled with the duvet up to her chin and hands clasped between her warm thighs, Niall glances over at Zayn's face enlightened by the laptop screen balanced on her lap, hair thick and unbrushed and tattoos visible. She leans in slowly resting her head on her shoulder and looking up with soft lazy blue eyes and licked lips, Zayn shakes her head and gives her a kiss because who could deny such a face.

=

It's warm and heavy in the room the wind battering lightly against the window and sending down fresh snowflakes to dust along the already thickly lathered quad. Niall can't sleep which is unusual because it's normally Zayn up at two AM with battering thoughts and wandering eyes. She swathers herself into the blanket though fighting the urge to head out to the bedazzled tree in the front room and tear open the presents labelled with her name.

Zayn's sighing softly beside her breathing warm and even as it hits her neck causing the hair to shiver and stand on edge. After a few quiet minutes of internal debates she quietly fumbles on the leggings draped on the bedside table and climbs gingerly from the bed.

The lights are shimmering in the living room making everything look warm and inviting, making her feel snug even if it's the first time away from home at this time of year she feels eternally grateful to Zayn for everything she's done for her.

She tries to be as quiet as possible as she makes her way over to the fridge looking up to the top where she can see the glitter of wrapping paper. Cautiously she clambers up onto the fake marble counter biting her lip and wincing when a metal pan hung on the overhead clangs loudly; she listens out for any sound that Zayn has awoken relaxing when she hears nothing.

Reaching up and grabbing the exposed ribbon between her fingers she tugs gently cursing to herself silently at letting Harry choose a hiding place for her gift, the little brat knew exactly what he was doing it seems.

It falls into the palm of her hand after a few seconds the little blue package splattering glitter all over her fingertips. It's a bit too girly than she knows Zayn usually likes but she remembers seeing the same colour used in several of Zayn's art works, the one matching her own eye colour perfectly and when she saw it on bargain price on the markets she couldn't help it.

They've been strapped for cash recently with the cold flooding the campus and causing everyone's bills to rise as not to completely freeze up, both Zayn and Niall taking extra shifts at their work as to not hound their parents anymore. Considering this Niall's gift is pretty simple but she hopes Zayn will like it, it's not material or shallow but from her heart.

Crawling her way into bed once again she notices Zayn stirring lightly facing her with scrunched, confused brown eyes.

"I just got some milk Hunny, go back to sleep." She whispers acknowledging the fact that Zayn knows she's lying, sees it in the way the elder rolls her eyes with a groan and scrunches her fingers into Niall's shirt nodding off momentarily.

=

It's 6 AM and Niall's still awake having been tossing and turning for hours leaving Zayn half asleep and half irritated, but it's Christmas she thinks, and she's fuzzy with excitement all over because there's nothing stopping her jumping out off bed and ripping open gifts except she's more excited about Zayn and her present.

Turning over again she hears Zayn's exasperated breath against her back.

"Why don't you just get up 'aye Nialler." She grumbles except there's no unhappy scolding tone just soft fondness. Niall's smiles discreetly, the grin getting wider slowly until she bursts into light giggles jumping onto her side and throwing a leg over a wide-eyed Zayn.

"Bit frisky this morning aren't you?" Zayn notes feeling slightly more awake and literally feeling the heat bubbling off of her girlfriend whose eyes are a supple blue watery with happiness only seen by a child on Christmas Day.

Niall nods quickly her movement becoming slower as she bends to press a quick kiss onto Zayn's lips.

"Merry Christmas," she whispers with a warm puff of air leaning back onto her knees shyly.

"You too," Zayn replies with a soft tone matching her glistening hazels because she knows how much this day means to Niall, it's not the same for her, she didn't celebrate it with her family like Niall did, didn't go to mass on Christmas Eve and leave whisky for Santa; Christmas is all about family and Niall isn't with her family at the moment she's in a different country and it must hurt but she's still sat there smiling.

"I'm going to boil the kettle." She says to break the comfortable silence that Zayn brought about with her thinking, Niall's used to it by now.

  
Zayn gathers up the blankets on the bed around her body as drags the comforter out of their bedroom and into the living room where there's a mug of steaming tea on the coffee table and Niall sat in a large hoodie and thick sweats beneath the glittering tree.

"You lazy ass," she mutters softly without turning around because it's a winter tradition that Zayn rolls herself into the blankets like a burrito and drags herself to the couch. Zayn just hums into her tea noticing a package she's never seen before balancing on Niall's knee as she pushes around the packages beneath the tree reading the name tags.

"You didn't have to get me anything," Zayn groans softly as Niall shoves herself between Zayn and the thick duvet curling her toes into Zayn's knees and wrapping her hands around the steaming mug so Zayn doesn't jolt it.

She stares at the package in her hands for a while inspecting the shade of watery arctic blue dotted with pink glitter that's stains her tanned fingers, the wonky tied yellow ribbon that matches Niall's crooked smile as he sips from the mug of tea, shy and delicate with nervousness.

"Niall I-," she starts but gets interrupted by a soft dig of toes to her thighs so she just decides to undo the ribbon carefully and ties it onto her ring finger with a lazy little twinkle of her lips.

Tearing inside she expected anything except what she saw. A rubber banded set of post stic notes, the first highlighted in her favourite neon orange colour and covered in little hearts.

'22 Reasons Why I Love You Sweetheart.'

Zayn shakes her head with a sappy laugh because she expected something silly and little, something that will make her laugh or go red with embarrassment and feel like harassing her girlfriend not something soft and loving and endearing. She feels like crying.

"Why're you going all endearingly sappy on me girl?" She mutters nimbly but Niall's to her left biting her bottom lip and jiggling her leg, so she just presses a kiss to her forehead and proceeds:

1\. I love the way you look at me like I'm the only girl in the world.

2\. I love how you doodle my name in your notebook surrounded by love hearts. (It's cute because I'm yours already.)

3\. I love the way your all shy and insecure about your tattoos but you're a sexy beast in the bedroom ;)

4\. The smile you give after I kiss you.

5\. Your hair after we kiss.

6\. The chalk in your nails and splinters in fingers when you've come back from the studio.  
  
7\. I love those dorky glasses you wear in bed when you're reading a book. You look damn sexy in those glasses babe.

8\. I love your head on my chest when we cuddle.

9\. I love that you are constantly on my mind.

10\. I love how you correct my spelling in essays and never complain.

11\. I love how supportive you are, and love me for being me.

12\. I love how you warm me up with your lips.

13\. I love how you know everything about me, and the world and everything. Your so bloody smart I swear sweetheart.

14\. I love how your my best friend above all.

15\. I love how your shy in front of strangers but a total dork in front of my friends.

16\. Damn I love you. So much.

17\. I love the way you wear my clothes and leave your scent everywhere.

18\. I love how you put up with me, that you're always there for me.

19\. I love how one day your gonna be a great mum. Because you're just great.

20\. I love how your gonna be my wife, how I'm gonna spend the rest of my life with you.

21\. I love that " I fell in love the way you fall asleep, slowly then all at once."

22\. I love how you're reading this, probably crying and thinking about the past 22 months we've spent together.

  
=

Zayn stared Niall for what seemed like years, her body curled into a ball amongst the sheets and her hair raggedy and messy and everywhere.  
The way she breathed was mesmerising to Zayn, the steady movement of her chest and the fluttering of breath from her chapped lips. Those post stic notes in a jam jar on the windowsill labelled with sharpie, and Zayn's heart thrummed a little harder against her rib cage as she skim read them through the blurred glass.

She'd felt slightly embarrassed afterwards handing Niall the gift she's gotten her, a silver bracelet engraved with the date they met and they way Niall had just stared at his clasped around her wrist had made Zayn feel nervous inside.

But then she had an arm full of warm heaviness and lips all over hers and roaming hands and nipping teeth that she hadn't had the chance to absorb anything else but to just lose herself in the feeling and the pleasure.

Every kiss made her feel warm inside and every smile made her heart jolt and her smile become crooked. And god did she love Niall just as much as she loved her, and she showed it with her passion and ferocity in her kisses then the softness of her fingers and the gentle touches and pleasured hisses.

Because it was Christmas and it was snowing violently outside and Zayn was awake and trying not to overthink things, and Niall was warm  
and sleepy.

She shuffled into the bed folding her arms into Niall's and snuggling into her back with a sighing, tired breath.

"I love you sweetheart." She whispered reversing the nicknames and closing her eyes.

"Love you too. You crazy dork." Niall replied with a soft smirk.


End file.
